Paper 2: Privacy and RFID

Due: Thursday, Oct 13

Pick one of the of the following themes to focus on.

RFID and the importance of a sense of personal autonomy.
RFID may in some cases be seen as reducing such autonomy. Perhaps mechanisms to address this directly would satisfy objections.
RFID and the unlevel playing field (some have readers, some don't)
Hackers sometimes have the technical knowledge to get into computers and thus read things others cannot. What about the notion that RFID means that a "techie elite" is able to read RFID tags on clothing and personal possessions, while ordinary people cannot?
RFID and the consumer tradeoffs: when is it worth it and when is it not?
Why is something like the I-Pass often viewed differently from something like tagged clothing?

Try for a broad perspective. For example, in consumer tradeoffs, you might consider I-PASS, simplified merchandise return, and smart appliances. Don't just say which of these *you* would find acceptable; try to find general principles or rankings.

Here are a few papers from the September 2005 CACM that might be useful. You can find the entire issue online through the Loyola library electronic journals collection; start at libraries.luc.edu.

Expected length: 3-4 pages (600+ words)